Cream the butter and 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add the egg, ground almonds, brandy, almond extract and ground cloves and mix until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and mix *just* until a thick dough forms. Form a large ball, leave the ball of dough in the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a clean and lightly floured working surface. Roll the dough out until it is 1/4-inch thick, then use your desired cookie cutters to cut the shapes out of the dough, and transfer them onto the baking sheet, leaving at least 1-inch of space between the cookies. 

Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, towards the end of the cooking time the surface of the cookie might develop a couple small cracks.

Allow the kourambiethes to cool to room temperature. Empty 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar into a shallow dish, and dredge each cookie in it so that there's powdered sugar on the top and bottom, placing it on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper afterwards.

Once all the cookies are dredged, dust them with the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (this will make sure they look nice and pretty). Serve at room temperature. These will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They also freeze very well.